Sad that Antonio Brown had to be killed off-screen at the conclusion of "Days of Our Steelers." It's been awhile since I've talked any Raiders football. But last night's trade had Raider Nation buzzing. Simply put, AB is an Oakland Raider (in principle). The Raiders agreed to send a 3rd round and 5th round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for the embattled Star Wideout. In addition, the Raiders offered Brown a 3-year, $50 million contract, which he'll sign once free agency frenzy is officially underway.
This has been rumored awhile now, but it hasn't heated up since the idea that the Raiders were rumored in assembling a "Big 3" with Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, and QB prospect, Kyler Murray. As mentioned, AB wanted the Steelers to trade him out west. Initially, it wasn't the Raiders. If AB were to go to the Bay Area, many sources projected him to be a 49er and be Jimmy Garoppolo's go-to-guy. Heck, even Jerry Rice publicly rallied for AB to don the Red and Gold. It hasn't happened.
The Antonio Brown trade saga took quite an unexpected twist when reports were made that the Steelers were trading him to the Buffalo Bills. AB refuted the idea and the deal quickly died. So, Brown was a Buffalo Bill for a good seven hours or so. It was clear that AB goes where AB wants to go. He successfully got the Steelers to bend the knee and cave in to his demands. Let's face it, the Steelers were pretty much tired of his diva antics. With the way they handled the Le'Veon Bell situation, they didn't want to deal with the same situation with Antonio Brown and let his drama linger with the team any longer. So, he had to go. And if there's any indication that Brown going to the Raiders is 100% true, he quickly posted up his on Instagram of him photoshopped in a Raiders uniform and showing affection for Derek Carr, to which Carr was really receptive about.
Let's get into the trade details here. The fact that the Raiders only gave up a 3rd round pick and 5th round pick to get AB was surprising. If the Steelers were adamant about giving him away, they'd get something higher like a first rounder. To be honest, if the Raiders did surrender their first round picks to get AB, I would've been furious because you trade way young players like Mack and Cooper who haven't reached their prime yet to get those picks, yet you give them away for a star that may have 2-3 years left in the tank. So, I'll give the Gruden and Mayock brain trust credit on this deal. Now, the Bears are in cap hell before Trubisky's deal rookie deal is up and they locked up Mack to a monster deal. The Cowboys are going to need to make some decisions since Coop's due for a big contract, yet they'll have to account for Zeke next offseason. The Raiders have started making their moves with a lot of cap space and three 1st round picks. They might rebuild faster than expected. That's IF everything goes right.
This trade does not escape disastrous implications. Like I said, AB may have a good 2-3 years left in the tank before he starts showing signs of decline (AB and Jordy Nelson as the starting WRs, I would've been excited if this was 2014). And his diva attitude is self-evident during the later years of his career as a Pittsburgh Steeler. Then again, that locker room, that organization is getting toxic, which is a glorious sight to see. Minus a few players of course. Boy, do I feel sorry for JuJu and James Conner? The way he handled his trade saga also docks some points off. You know it's real when "Classy Larry (Larry Fitzgerald)" calls you out to stop the madness. The dynamic between him and Jon Gruden is going to be interesting because you'll have two inflated egos bound to collide like the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies. Go listen to some stories on the tension between Gruden and Keyshawn Johnson when Chucky was still coaching in Tampa Bay. AB does express his excitement to be Derek Carr's go-to-guy. Now, that prompts the Raiders to step back because they've implied that Carr was on the trading block so they can get Kyler Murray in this draft. If they trade Carr now, the relationship with AB is going to go sour in a hurry. Yes, his $125 million deal is burdensome to the team in the midst of a rebuild, but they're forced to keep him at this point and we'll see how Carr improves in Year 2 under the Gruden system. Carr definitely needs to make major strides because not only will he have Gruden in his face, but Antonio Brown is going to get in his face as well for not giving him the ball on the sidelines. Sure, they're buddy-buddy in the Pro Bowl, but it's much different when you're teammates and on a 16-week gauntlet. Just ask Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens. Man, if this trade trends to disaster, "The Silver and Black Shitshow" may be renewed for another year. Anyway, welcome to the nation AB.
Side note: The Raiders made another trade today sending Kelechi Osemele to the New York Jets for a fifth round pick. K.O. initially signed to a 5-year $70 million contract in 2016, which is a lot money for an Offensive Guard. This was likely for a salary dump. K.O. was awesome in his first year. It's unfortunate that he struggled with injuries in the next two. If there's anyone I'd want in that O-line to stick around for the long run, it'd be Rodney Hudson. Donald Penn is getting old. Kolton Miller is still raw. At least Gabe Jackson will hold down one of the Guard positions. Definitely, the Raiders are going to have their work cut out to rebuild that Carr Insurance. It also doesn't help that Tom Cable is still coaching that unit.
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